Daniel Albert Barber appeared to some in the North Hudson, Wis., area to be a knight in shining armor, eager to help parents by baby-sitting their children. But behind the veil of a respectable businessman, civic leader and former police officer, authorities say, hid a man who preyed on the children he was entrusted to care for.

Barber, 46, who was charged in February with sexually assaulting a boy, had new charges filed against him Wednesday alleging the sexual abuse of seven more boys.

The alleged incidents date as far back as 2004 and involve two children who were toddlers at the time and five others who were younger than 9.

The charges — one count of sexual assault of a child and six counts of first-degree child sexual assault — are in addition to a charge of first-degree child sexual assault filed in February stemming from alleged abuse of a 6-year-old in Barber’s home.

Investigators in that case say they found child pornography on Barber’s computer, and he was charged with six counts of possessing child pornography.

Barber pleaded not guilty to the previous charges and remained free on a $75,000 cash bond. He was charged by summons in the latest case and scheduled to appear in court May 19. His lawyer declined to comment Thursday.

Since at least 2007, investigators have looked into claims that Barber sexually abused children. But it wasn’t until a child told his father in February of alleged abuse by Barber that prosecutors could move forward with charges, St. Croix County Sheriff John Shilts said.

Shilts added that the ages of alleged victims made it difficult for charges to be filed earlier.

After the February charges were made public, other children and parents reported sexual abuse by Barber, and investigators identified about 35 children who spent time alone with him, Shilts said. Some of them have reported being abused, he said.

Many of the children came into contact with Barber after he offered to baby-sit for their families, Shilts said.

“There seems to be a common thread that it was a family in need of baby-sitting or taking care of a child,” Shilts said.

He said Barber sometimes used Craigslist and Facebook to connect with parents.

Shilts said there was also a pattern of Barber helping families during vulnerable periods. He said some were single parents experiencing financial hardships.

Barber appeared “to be a knight in shining armor, when in fact that was not the case,” he said.

“It’s very well thought out,” Shilts said of Barber’s behavior. “It’s predatory in nature.”

Before this case, Shilts had never seen a child sexual abuse case in the county with this many alleged and potential victims, he said.

It’s important for parents to know that sexual predators of children don’t just groom their victims; they groom parents and family members, too, said Teresa Huizar, executive director for the National Children’s Alliance, which serves as an accrediting body for children’s advocacy centers.

“They start with contact that would seem relatively innocent,” Huizar said. “And over a period of time, they escalate that behavior, pushing those boundaries. And it’s really very subtle.”

That can lead parents to lower their guard and not recognize the boundary violations, she said. But parents should be alert to warning signs, she said, such as when adults want to spend a lot of time with children other than their own and seek opportunities to be alone with them.

Parents should also be on the lookout for behavior that doesn’t sound reasonable.

There’s also a myth that persists that people will be able to recognize someone who seeks sexual contact with children. But that’s just not the case, Huizar said.

“These individuals are the neighbor down the street, they’re members of one’s family, they’re at every socioeconomic level, every education level, every background,” she said, adding these people are often seen as outgoing and charming.

Huizar said it’s critical that parents educate their children about the fact that sexual abuse does exist. There are books and other materials that can help with that. While it may be an uncomfortable conversation for parents, it’s an important one, because children need to know to tell an adult if sexual abuse does occur.

A disclosure by a child of sexual abuse can be devastating for parents, Huizar said. But there are resources available at local children advocacy centers, she said, adding that police should be notified.

Many in the community were surprised when charges were initially filed against Barber, who was well known in the North Hudson area, Shilts said.

At the time, Barber owned St. Croix Storage & Transfer and served as committee president for the North Hudson Pepper Fest.

A woman answering the phone at the company Wednesday said Barber was no longer the owner, and the Pepper Fest website does not list him as the event’s committee president.

Barber also worked part time at a Somerset police officer from 1995 until his resignation in 2003.

Most of the alleged abuse detailed in the latest criminal complaint reportedly occurred at Barber’s home. Other instances reportedly took place when Barber took children camping at Willow River State Park in the town of Hudson, according to the complaint.

The complaint states the incidents happened between August 2004 and February 2014.

The children told investigators Barber had touched their genitals, and one boy said he was raped by Barber as a 4- to 6-year-old, the complaint states.

Barber told police in February that children slept in his bed because that was what he did “with everybody,” the complaint states.

Barber said he had played the “human sandwich game” with boys, and it was “entirely possible” that the children were naked, according the complaint, which also states Barber said he did not believe he was sexually aroused at the time, but he could have been.

Shilts said that in addition to the St. Croix County sheriff’s office, other agencies have been involved in the investigation of Barber, including the Washington County sheriff’s office, Wisconsin Department of Justice and FBI.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the St. Croix County sheriff’s office at 715-386-4701.

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